AD CH31

Identical?

Chen Jian instantly felt the bracelet in his hand growing a bit too hot to handle—it felt awkward either to hold it or to put it down.

He could only hold it in his hand, pretending to examine it carefully.

If they’re identical, why did you go to the trouble of putting them in two different boxes?

“They’re different,” Liu Wu said. “I specifically used two different boxes to store them.”

Chen Jian breathed a sigh of relief, quickly sweeping his eyes toward Shan Yu’s hand.

Then he immediately felt a wave of doubt again—aren’t these exactly the same?

They were both wooden beads.

“What’s different about them?” Shan Yu was also picking at the beads on his hand.

“Look,” Liu Wu rolled up his sleeve, revealing his own wrist which was adorned with several similar bracelets. He took one off. “All three of ours look alike, but…”

So there were three identical ones.

Chen Jian breathed a sigh of relief once more.

It wasn’t that he disliked using the same thing as Shan Yu, but rather the subtle sense of awkwardness it brought.

It had been hard enough these past two days with so many guests and so much business, leaving no extra room in his brain to ponder these things. Just as he was recovering a bit, Liu Wu’s arrival blew up right in his face with two identical bracelets, frizzing up his hair with the shock.

“The bead on top is different,” Liu Wu pointed to one of the beads that had a different color. “This one has a character on it!”

“A character?” Chen Jian turned the bracelet around for a long time before finding the bead with the different color.

He struggled to make out the somewhat abstract character written on it.

If he hadn’t known his own name was Chen Jian, he wouldn’t have been able to recognize the character “Jian” (澗) on that little bead.

This “different”… referred to the character carved on top.

“‘Yu’ (羽)?” Shan Yu also clearly saw the character written on it.

“Yeah, mine has ‘Wu’ (悟) carved on it,” Liu Wu said. “I carved them all myself.”

“Thank you,” Chen Jian said. Not to mention anything else, just for the character Liu Wu carved himself, this gift was sincere enough to move him deeply.

The last time he received a gift with handmade work was when Xiaodou used picked-up leaves to write a few characters and made a greeting card for him.

“You’re welcome; it wasn’t much trouble either.” Liu Wu put his own bracelet back on. “Cousin, how’s my handwriting?”

“It’s more than enough to write ‘Park Here and Get Your Tires Deflated’.” As Shan Yu spoke, he opened his hand, and the bracelet looped around his fingers slid onto his wrist, making a series of soft, clinking sounds from the wooden beads colliding.

Chen Jian lowered his head and also put the bracelet onto his own wrist.

“What are your plans?” Shan Yu rested his leg on the table, quickly entering the hand-off process. A room full of Joyful Beans was currently without a leader; he had to hurry up and put this big bean back where he belonged.

“I’ve told Chen Jian all about it,” Liu Wu said. “Didn’t expect that, did you? I’ve been in touch with him for a long time.”

“Didn’t expect it,” Shan Yu glanced at him. “Didn’t you tell your mom when you left home?”

“…I did.” Liu Wu spoke with a slight hesitation.

Shan Yu didn’t speak, simply tapping his fingers lightly on the desk while watching him.

“I really did,” Liu Wu felt a bit anxious and tapped the table as well. “I said I was going out to hang out with classmates.”

“Go where to hang out?” Shan Yu asked.

“I said coming here,” Liu Wu glanced at Chen Jian as he spoke. “She doesn’t know you’re here anyway.”

Chen Jian tilted his head away.

Just now, I should have insisted on going downstairs first.

Liu Wu was still as talkative as ever, blurting out everything.

“As long as she knows where you are, that’s fine,” Shan Yu didn’t say much more either. “Go finish checking in, and go play wherever you’re supposed to play.”

“We’re going out to buy vegetables and meat in a bit. Manager Chen said he could help us marinate them,” Liu Wu’s tone had dropped when questioned by Shan Yu earlier, but now mentioning playing, it bounced back up again. “Going to have a barbecue tonight! Are you coming?”

“No,” Shan Yu said. “Can’t beat you sashimi-eating bunch.”

Liu Wu went downstairs while on the phone to meet up with the Joyful Beans. When Chen Jian picked up that box and was about to head downstairs as well, Shan Yu called out to him: “Chen Jian.”

“Mm?” Chen Jian looked at him.

“That…” Shan Yu pointed to his wrist. “If it feels uncomfortable, you don’t have to wear it. He won’t keep staring.”

Chen Jian lowered his head to glance at the bracelet, hesitating for a moment. Since Shan Yu had put it that way, he couldn’t afford to seem too pretentious: “It’s fine, I’ll keep it on for now. It has hand-carved lettering, after all.”

“Mm, alright,” Shan Yu gave a faint smile. “Go get busy then.”

“What do you want to eat tonight?” Chen Jian asked. “There are a lot of guests eating in the shop tonight, and Zhao-jie also has to help Liu Wu and his group marinate meat. I had her skip making staff meals; I’ll go out and buy dinner.”

“Anything’s fine with me. Just get an extra portion of whatever anyone else is having.” Shan Yu said.

“Okay.” Chen Jian nodded.

The lively sounds from the first floor could be heard even on the third floor. Chen Jian didn’t go straight down; instead, he walked into the third-floor gym. Although it was busy right now, there wasn’t anything that required his immediate attention.

At noon, he had sent his dad a message asking about his injuries, but his dad still hadn’t replied.

He dialed the phone directly.

In the past, if his dad didn’t reply, he generally wouldn’t call. His dad would call back after finishing his own business; conversely, if he didn’t reply to messages for a day, his dad would also assume he was busy and wait for him to finish before replying.

But now it was different. He knew his dad was injured, and it wasn’t particularly light.

When messages went unreplied, he couldn’t help but worry.

The phone rang several times before the other side picked up.

“Hello!” His dad’s voice was trembling slightly, sounding clearly like he wasn’t resting.

“Aren’t you resting?” Chen Jian asked immediately. “Did you go out?”

“Not much of an impact,” his dad said. “Can still drive.”

“Still driving with your hand like that!” Chen Jian suppressed his voice, both anxious and helpless. “What if you crash again!”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” his dad said. “Won’t crash. How many years have I been driving?”

“I’m earning quite a bit every month now,” Chen Jian said. “Don’t need that little bit of yours. Just rest for a month.”

“I’ve already accepted the orders.” His dad’s voice was somewhat muffled.

Chen Jian didn’t say anything more, letting out a gentle sigh. He knew his dad definitely wouldn’t rest, and he also knew he couldn’t persuade his dad. Calling this phone was actually more about just wanting to confirm whether his dad had run into any further trouble while delivering meals with an injury.

His dad on the other end had nothing left to say either. After a few seconds, the phone was hung up.

Chen Jian sat on a training bench with his head lowered, remaining still for a long time.

He only felt a sense of powerlessness.

He was very grateful to Shan Yu for pushing him to break the silent, mutually ignorant way of life between father and son. Yet, he felt uncomfortable because he couldn’t evade those hardships.

He wanted to know how his dad was doing, yet he didn’t know what to do when facing these “bad” realities.

After the phone screen went dark, the curtained gym fell into pitch darkness. The chatter and laughter from downstairs could still be heard, but because of the darkness in front of his eyes, the sound became unreal, as if it wasn’t in the same time and space as him.

The elevator door chimed once, opened, and closed.

Then came the sound of footsteps, along with the tapping noise of something poking against the ground.

Chen Jian’s mind was quite cluttered; he heard all these sounds, and even clearly knew this was Shan Yu, but his body didn’t make any response, just sitting there dazed in the room.

Perhaps precisely because it was Shan Yu, he stayed completely still like this.

No matter how awkward or whatever else it was, Shan Yu was someone who had exchanged secrets with him.

Shan Yu’s figure appeared at the entrance of the gym. He had changed into a T-shirt, walking in very leisurely. Flipping his crutch upward and poking it backward, he accurately struck the light switch.

The moment the light turned on, Shan Yu saw Chen Jian sitting on the training bench: “Oh, fuck!”

“It’s me,” Chen Jian said quickly.

“How about you wait until tomorrow to make a sound?” Shan Yu said.

Chen Jian gave a faint smile.

“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu reached back and used his crutch to close the gym door.

“Taking a break,” Chen Jian stood up. “Are you going to workout?”

“Resting then,” Shan Yu walked over to the side and sat down in front of a lat pulldown machine nearby. “They’re going to barbecue tonight, they’ll definitely call you along, plus Hu Pan and the others.”

“Let Hu Pan and the others go play. I’ll just stay in the shop. There isn’t much to do tonight anyway.” Chen Jian said.

“Why the sudden low mood?” Shan Yu asked. “Is it a problem with work?”

Chen Jian was silent for a moment before saying a sentence: “My dad went back to delivering meals. He probably didn’t rest at all.”

He didn’t know if Shan Yu was interested in hearing him talk about these things. He was just very down right now, wanting someone to listen to him.

“Can’t persuade him?” Shan Yu said.

“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded. “I actually know he won’t listen to me. At most he’d rest for a day or two.”

“The more he works, the less tired you’ll have to be,” Shan Yu said. “That’s probably how he thinks.”

Chen Jian let out a sigh.

“You think the exact same way.” Shan Yu glanced at him.

Chen Jian tilted his head, looking at him for a good while, and finally gave a faint smile: “Mm.”

“There’s no solution to this kind of thing,” Shan Yu said. “And it doesn’t need a solution either. Worry, care, anxiety—these are all unavoidable emotions. Just express them; no need to keep them pent up.”

“Mm.” Chen Jian responded.

“Since you happen to be taking a break, I originally wanted to look for you later anyway,” Shan Yu said. “There’s an envelope in my office drawer. Go bring it over.”

“Now?” Chen Jian stood up.

“Or I could pick a time when you’re overwhelmed with work to look for you again.” Shan Yu said.

Chen Jian smiled, walking out of the gym.

It was a kraft paper envelope. When he got it in his hands, the opening was unsealed. Chen Jian didn’t look inside, but holding it in his hand felt like money.

What money?

Why give money?

“Your salary,” Shan Yu spoke up just in time, interrupting the uncontrollable thoughts in his mind. “Their salaries were all transferred digitally. I withdrew your portion in advance. Originally, I wanted to give it to you the day I went on that business trip…”

Due to reasons known to everyone and no one in particular, it wasn’t given.

However, although Chen Jian zoned out for a split second, he reacted quickly: “Hasn’t the salary been given already?”

“Saying you don’t care about money—when you first talked salary with me, you knew how to inflate the figures,” Shan Yu tsked. “Saying you care about money—the manager can work for free without taking a salary.”

Chen Jian was stunned for a long while: “Ah.”

“The manager gets six thousand, but there’s only four thousand inside here, because I deducted the two thousand for the waiter,” Shan Yu said. “Same for next month—four thousand issued after deducting the waiter portion. If my leg is in better shape next month and doesn’t need your attendance anymore, it’ll offset.”

Chen Jian looked at him.

“Can you do the math?” Shan Yu glanced at him. “Manager.”

“Yes.” Chen Jian nodded.

“I’m not generous with money only toward you,” Shan Yu said. “Going from nothing to something, without these people, this guesthouse couldn’t be built. What should be given will be given, what should be raised will be raised. If business goes bad in the future, then we’ll dock…”

“Save some verbal virtue for your own business, Boss,” Chen Jian couldn’t help interrupting his words.

“So superstitious.” Shan Yu burst out laughing.

“You’re even willing to give the money, so close your mouth too—this doesn’t cost a thing.” Chen Jian said.

Shan Yu didn’t speak, pulling a zipping gesture across his mouth with his hand.

“I’m heading down,” Chen Jian said. “Liu Wu and his group should be going to buy groceries…”

Shan Yu extended a hand and pulled another zipping gesture across his mouth: “Why do you, a manager, still have to accompany guests to buy groceries? There’s no such service, don’t mention a cousin—not even a biological brother gets that.”

“I’ll go down once they’ve bought groceries and things quiet down.” Chen Jian said.

The Joyful Beans didn’t all go to buy groceries; they had a clear division of labor. A few girls went to buy groceries, bringing along a few guys to carry the stuff, while the rest of the people were still in the guesthouse.

Some were wandering in the garden, some were strolling on the small trail outside, and others were sitting in the café.

Hu Pan was also making coffee for them in the café at this moment.

“How is it? Has checking-in been completed?” Chen Jian walked over and asked.

“Mm,” Hu Pan nodded. “Want a cup of latte, Manager? Just happened to have a tiny splash of milk left.”

“Aren’t you drinking?” Chen Jian said.

“I already drank so much while calibrating the machine that I feel nauseous,” Hu Pan made him a latte very nimbly. “Might suffer from insomnia tonight.”

“Miss,” a girl ran over holding a camera. “Can I take a picture of you?”

“Wow, a real camera! Sure.” Hu Pan very generously raised the tamper in her hand with the flow, smiling toward the lens.

Chen Jian stepped aside.

“Your vibe is very unique, looks great,” the girl said. “When I finish editing the photo, I’ll send it to you.”

“Thank you.” Hu Pan said with a smile.

After taking a few photos of Hu Pan, the girl ran into the garden with several classmates to take pictures.

“Ah…” Hu Pan cupped her chin. “They’re so happy.”

“Students, after all…” Chen Jian smiled faintly.

“Eww,” Hu Pan looked out the window and curled her lips. “This Lao Wu’s smile really looks like an idiot’s.”

Chen Jian looked outside.

Far from just Lao Wu looking like an idiot, Chen Erhu was also smiling like a Chen Two-Cat. The two of them were serving the students taking photos—one moment scattering leaves, the next moment holding a hat to help fan out a wind effect…

Dayin’s security system had completely collapsed.

“Panpan,” Liu Wu ran over. “Free tonight? Going to barbecue!”

Chen Jian looked at him.

“Manager Chen is going too.” Liu Wu said.

“Manager Chen is not going,” Chen Jian said. “Panpan can go.”

“Really?” Hu Pan hesitated. “I’m on duty at the front desk tonight.”

“We’ll swap.” Chen Jian said.

“Thank you, Manager!” Hu Pan’s eyebrows raised high. “Then no need to buy my dinner!”

“Mm.” Chen Jian nodded.

Not only was there no need to buy Hu Pan’s dinner, but there was also no need to buy dinner for Chen Erhu, Lao Si, and Lao Wu either. Originally, Chen Jian wanted Sanbing to go to the barbecue as well, but Sanbing didn’t go.

“Chen Dahu’s men came yesterday; there still needs to be someone around these couple of days,” Sanbing said. “And besides, I want to perform well…”

Sanbing glanced at him.

“Mm?” Chen Jian looked at him.

“Originally wanted to tell you about this matter in a while,” Sanbing said. “It’s just… I want to work directly in the shop.”

Chen Jian was stunned for a moment. Sanbing and the other few currently belonged to staff “dispatched” by Boss Chen, being Chen Erhu’s men. Coming directly to work in the shop meant, to a certain extent, leaving the pigpen gang behind.

“Have you told Erhu?” Chen Jian asked.

“Told him,” Sanbing nodded. “He thought it was pretty good.”

Chen Erhu’s attitude surprised Chen Jian somewhat; he actually agreed to his most capable subordinate’s “defection”.

“He wants to stay as well,” Sanbing said. “After the new year, Lao Si and Lao Wu might be sent by their families to be apprentices… He’s also about to become a leader without followers.”

“Mm,” Chen Jian smiled faintly. “He wants to wait until Lao Si and Lao Wu leave, and then come over as well, right?”

“Right,” Sanbing frowned. “That matter with his brother was quite a shock to him too, like suddenly seeing through things… Do you think Shan Yu will agree?”

“What’s there not to agree with,” Shan Yu sat at the small table on the third-floor viewing balcony, holding a burger. “Boss Chen officially turning into Security Guard Chen only brings me benefits, no downsides.”

“Mm.” Chen Jian took a bite of his burger, looking downstairs. The lights in the courtyard were all lit, and the string lights along both sides of the small path outside were flashing too, looking peaceful yet lively.

“What are Sanbing and Zhao-jie eating?” Shan Yu asked.

“Tomato beef rice bowl.” Chen Jian said.

Shan Yu went silent, staring at him.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Jian took a bite of his burger, staring back at him.

“What was your reason for having me eat this?” Shan Yu asked.

“You said to just get an extra portion of whatever anyone else is having…” Chen Jian said. “This Western food, paired with Coke—the regular, sugary kind.”

Shan Yu laughed at the explanation: “Alright.”

“If you don’t like it, you can swap this with Sanbing’s,” Chen Jian said. “He’s still patrolling the courtyard, hasn’t eaten yet.”

“This one will do.” Shan Yu said.

“Aren’t you picky?” Chen Jian asked. “I thought you really weren’t picky.”

“When I have no choice, I’m not picky—no matter how terrible it tastes, I’ll eat it,” Shan Yu said. “If I have a choice before eating, of course I’ll pick what I think tastes good.”

“Then right now you have no choice.” Chen Jian said.

“Mm.” Shan Yu took a bite of his burger.

“Have you always been like this?” Chen Jian asked at the same time as Shan Yu made this motion.

Shan Yu looked at him without speaking, chewing bit by bit.

Chen Jian could only take a bite as well and wait.

After swallowing this bite of the burger, Shan Yu placed the burger back into the box: “Since I was little, my dad’s rule.”

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